Fearowyn
by goldleaves
Summary: When Fearowyn and Eomer meet at Dunharrow - they hate each other, this is their story as they go through the War of the Ring and realize that their emotions towards the other is something different from hate. ONESHOT. Eomer/OC. AU


**Fearowyn**

_Here thusly is the story of Fearowyn and Eomer._

* * *

They waited at Dunharrow for three days, three days with little hope as only small groups of men and riders came forth to join them, and on that last night they slept fitfully with nightmares.

They had no hope.

That night two things of greatest importance happened - one was that Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and his two companions - Gimli the dwarf, and Legolas the Elf, made their way through the door into the mountain in order to get more troops, and secondly a group of Rohirrim warriors made their way over the mountain, on their Mearas steeds towards the encampment in order to follow their king.

"My lord, my lord" a soldier called, entering the king's tent and disturbing a meeting between him and his captains, "I'm sorry for interrupting you my lord, but more soldiers have arrived"

"Good" said Theoden-king, standing, "Send for their leader to mount the hill - for I would wish to speak with him"

"They're already here, my lord"

"They?"

"They came over the mountain - it's soldiers from the mountain clans, my lord - they're here" and great was the surprise of the King and the other captains that they exited the great tent and found that the mountain clan people had indeed arrived. Standing in front of them were 400 Mearas steeds, tall and proud, with their riders wearing chain-mail and leather instead of the sheet-metal armour that most warriors wore.

Upon their shoulders lay pinned their cloaks, dark and bright - thousands of coloured thread weaved together to create a cloak warm enough for the treacherous winter of the mountains, and on their steeds there were no reins, instead they wore merely a saddle and a piece of head and leg armour - light and made of steel with great sharp points.

They made a magnificent sight, and many felt hope reach into their hearts, for the warriors of the mountain clans were famous in their skill of battle, but there were some among the crowds who felt bitter and did not feel hope at their arrival, for their was a great bitterness between the men of the plains and the men of the mountains, even though they served the same king and rode under the same banner.

For many years ago, there were many more Mearas steeds that wondered the plains of Rohan, but they began to wonder into the mountains more and more, and so many of the plains began to think that the mountain people had stolen the great creatures for their own, and there was open hostility between the two peoples, though not a war.

Another cause for dis-content among many was the fact that the great steeds before them each held two people, a rider - a man wearing a helmet and with a sword and axe belted to his hip, and behind them, there was a women - perched in a crouching position they rode across plains and mountains to fight for their people - these women had no swords - just arrows and a bow, and a long axe which they could fight with when their arrows were finished.

These women were fierce, blue battle paint ordained their faces, and their golden hair was pushed back from their faces, and they wore no helm and little armour, preferring the lighter wear of rangers - of leathers and oil-skins. The tradition of allowing women to fight was something that the plains people of Rohan never understood, neither was the tradition of having them perch, almost like birds, behind a rider - but in the mountains there were not many horses - not many of the great Mearas - and so only the men were allowed to ride, and the women were forced to learn other forms of warfare in order to survive.

They were nimble and swift like the elves, and their eyes were sharp and their ears waiting - for they had learnt the ways of rangers and scouts and the way of being silent even when killing their foes. And many were distrustful of them - one of these was Eomer, sister-son of Theoden and Third-Marshall of Rohan.

"Well met, Well met indeed" called Theoden to the cloaked riders, "Come forth, so we may speak and know your names" and so a Mearas stepped forth, tall and great and golden was he, and his rider tall and fierce in battle, but smart in mind, he dismounted - as did the woman who had been perched behind him, and they both bowed low at the waist, their hands fisted at their hearts.

"I am Fearomin - captain-chief of the silver-vale clan, who rides to your call, this is my sister Fearowyn" he nodded towards the woman next to him. They were both tall and blonde, their eyes the endless blue of the mountain sky in the sun, and they stood proud among their fellows and in front of their king and all those who thought themselves above them.

"You are most welcome - Let it be known to all that the mountain people of the silver-vale clan does not abandon Rohan! and she does not abandon them" and all of the mountain people bowed low in their saddles, or on their perches at words of their king, "Now come Fearomin - we must talk" and he returned inside the tent and the other captains followed him, but Fearomin hesitated and turned to his sister, "Fearowyn - look after Athenilas for me"

"Of course my brother" and with a nod, she had leapt gracefully into the saddle and joined the train of horses as they made their way down the narrow path down the mountain, their hear and cloaks shining bright in the moonlight, and they lifted their voices high into the winds in song of the mountains and of the plains of Rohan and of war and of peace - and all those that passed were lulled into sleep by their song and the camp of Rohan slept peacefully for one last night.

* * *

Before the sun reached the sky, the collected armies of Rohan were up and well rested and were packing their things and saying goodbye to the women who had joined them, in order to see them off, striding through the camp Eowyn impeached her brother one last time,

"Why can't I travel with you? Why can't I go to war too?"

"War is no place for a woman" her brother said, in distaste,

"Then ..." she desperately spotted the tents of the mountain people, "Then why do they travel with us?" she asked pointing at them, "Why do you allow the woman from the mountains to ride to war and not I? Why brother?"

"I do not allow it, sister, but I can do nothing to stop it, and you know as I do that they do not ride to war - they perch upon the backs of those noble steeds like carrier pigeons, waiting to pounce and kill - they have no honour, at best they are whores and filth, you should do better than want to be like them"

"How can you say that? You do not even know them?"

"I don't need to ... they pour their filth into this journey and dis-honour our plight and mission with their very presence, I abhor them, and so should you, they don't even have their own steeds Eowyn! they are carried around by whoever they sell their services to"

"What about Fearomin and Fearowyn? do you say that they are lovers too?" and Eomer looked troubled,

"Nay, I do not - for I find Fearomin to be noble and of honour, but I am wary of him because he has allowed his sister to travel with him to war - what sort of brother allows their sister to go to war? and to certain death? he may be of honour but I do not trust him"

"Then I pity you my lord" spoke a voice from behind them, and they turned to see Fearowyn standing behind them, a freshly polished saddle in her arms, "For he is loyal to you and your uncle, Theoden-king, and would willingly die for either of you, as would any of us mountain people ... now if you would excuse me - I would like to pass" and the two siblings realized that they had indeed blocked the path with their argument and moved away so that she and other women, all carrying freshly cleaned and oiled saddles could pass - and Eomer could see in their eyes and in their upturned chins that they had heard of what they spoke and for one moment he was ashamed.

"See what you have done brother?" asked Eowyn, "You've insulted them and their way of life - the mountain people brought with them 800 warriors, and now 400 of them would wish you dead, you best hold your tongue around them" and with an angry look she walked away from him.

"My lady Eowyn" came a voice from her side and she turned to see Fearowyn there, saddling the great golden Mearas of her brother, "Are you alright? I hope I did not offend you when I spoke against your brother - It was impertinent of me"

"No, you did not insult me, and I thank you of that - I just wish I could have convinced him to allow me to ride to battle, but he believes I should not, and he had convinced my uncle so - I had hoped to follow my duty and bring honour to my name for my actions and not for the actions of my brother and the actions of my king"

"I understand - and I am sorry, my lady, Any one of our people would have been honoured to allow you to ride with us, as we women do, but you have not the practice nor do we have a spare mount - every Mearas here holds two, I'm afraid"

"Thank you, I'm afraid I would have fallen off after an hour, it must take some strength to sit there all day"

"Yes it does, I still remember my training, I couldn't walk properly for about three months" and they shared a laugh,

"Is my brother true in what he said? do you really have no honour and ride with whoever you ..."she broke off blushing and Fearowyn laughed a great twinkling laugh,

"No, my lady 'tis not true, sisters ride with their brothers - If they wish to go to war, and wives with husbands, and sometimes daughters with their fathers, and if there are horses to spare the women line up in front of the Mearas, and the Mearas choose who shall ride with them, a Mearas will only allow their rider and someone who their rider. or the Mearas trusts to ride them"

And Eowyn was awed, "A Mearas would have trusted me to ride with them?"

"The whole of Rohan trusts you, you are Lady Eowyn, the White lady of Rohan, and you are adored by all"

"I never knew ... but that is a strange custom ... allowing women to ride to war"

"Yes it is" Fearowyn laughed," It came about after a woman from one of the other mountain clans, was denied the right to go to war with the men, so she dressed herself up as a man and rode with the men. It was only discovered after she saved the life of one of the captain-chief's and since then it has been our way" And Eowyn began to think but she was pulled from her musings by the appearance of Fearomin, "Good day, my lady"

"Good day, my lord - Is it time to depart now?"

"I'm afraid so"

"I wish you well, Captain-chief Fearomin, and you Fearowyn, I hope to see and speak with you again"

"Aye, my lady, that is my hope as well" and she bowed low, and swung gracefully onto her perch behind her brother and they rode off to the columns where the rest of their people was waiting. And Eowyn ran back up the mountain and said her goodbye's to her brother - whom she was still angered with, and her uncle, and as they rode down the mountain - Eowyn in a moment of pure instinct pulled her hair from her face and placed a helm over her head - she was no longer Eowyn - she was now Dernhelm.

* * *

They rode all that day, and rested that night in silence, all too anxious to sleep long hours, and the women of the silver-vale clan stood watch for their eyes were the fairest and were the wisest and could see the furthest among the men, for they had been trained and taught to be like the elves in their movements and ways so as to make the disadvantage of having to rely on another into an advantage.

They were scouts and watchers and their eyes were like hawks and they were silent and stood still all night, and Eomer watched Fearowyn, who stood watch near him, not trusting her. And he watched as she paced slowly and silently and not disturbing a single blade of grass as she kept watch and he eventually drifted off to sleep and he dreamed of what might have been, and of what could be if he just pushed aside his bitterness.

_He rode into Edoras triumphantly, there was Orc blood on his helm and armour, and he was dirty and tired but there was a smile upon his lips and in his eyes as he reached the palace, where his sister, Eowyn, his uncle - Theoden and another woman were waiting for him. She was there, unveiled but his mind could not see her, she was like a blur - a blur that spoke with a soft and gentle voice, a blur who took his offered hand, a blur who he felt safe and in comfort around._

_He snaked an arm around her waist and kissed her lips, and he felt her kiss him back and he felt the tips of her fingers on his face, stroking every single line, like remembering him. And he sensed rather than saw that her eyes were blue and were smiling and as he lay his forehead against hers she whispered lovingly to him,_

_"Welcome home, my lord" and holding his hand she led him inside, after being welcomed by his uncle and his sister - who was being held by another man, whom he knew yet he didn't - He could see the other man's features - tall and proud, with auburn hair and grey eyes, he stood behind his sister, arms around her waist - and though knew but did not know the man he was happy that she had found someone who she could love._

_The woman, who held his hand led him through the hall, speaking softly about how much she had missed him, and he followed her with a smile, and he felt loved as she gently took off his armour, piece by piece, and as she kissed his lips whenever she stood facing him, and he felt her fingers un-tie the ties of his clothes and draw him out of them, before giving him one last kiss and with a laugh she left him to his bath._

_Clean and dry, and once more fully clothed, he joined her in their rooms, she was there, beautiful - and he didn't know how she was beautiful considering she was merely a blur, but he knew, and she was waiting for him,_

_"So you're clean now" she said, and there was laughter in her voice, as he made his way to her and trapped her in her seat, with his arms and leaned down - as if to kiss her, but his lips didn't touch hers,_

_"That was most evil, my lady" he said before drawing away, "I fear, I may have to punish you for that" and he turned from her and smiled when he heard the tiny whimper escape from her throat,_

_"Now that is most unfair, my lord, I was only trying to help and you punish me?" and with a grin and a laugh he spun around and enveloped her in a hug, burying his head into her hair, _

_"I've missed you, my love"_

_"And I you, my lord" and he growled at her use of titles, for she knew he hated it - and he knew that she continued to use it for that very reason, "I will not let you go until you call me by my name, my lady"_

_"Then I shall never call you your name, for I wish to be here always" and he felt a bubble of pride and love in his chest and removed his head from her neck and kissed her firmly but gently once more, "Good because, I'm never letting you go"_

_"I love you Eomer"_

_"And I you ... Fearowyn" And the blur that had been in front of his eyes vanished and he saw in front of him, Fearowyn - his wife, her blue eyes sparkling, a smile evident upon her face, and her long blonde locks, pushed over one shoulder revealing the creamy expanse of her neck and shoulder..._

He woke with a start, when he heard a horn in the distance, It was time for breakfast and he was glad to be woken, for his dream had greatly disturbed him and he wished to know why he continued to think of Fearowyn in such a way, even when he was awake - he noticed his eyes kept following her every movement, trying to catch every laugh, every smile and every word that dropped from her lips.

Maybe if he watched her enough, he could build a case within his mind, that this was not the woman from his dream, that the woman merely had the same name because he had been thinking of her worthlessness shortly before falling asleep - but as the day went on he couldn't find anything that supported this and he couldn't tear a part of his mind from her presence, only three horses across from him as they marched towards Minas Tirth.

* * *

They arrived at the fields of Pelennor to see that Minas Tirth was besieged and there were walls in flame and an army of thousands of thousands attacking it's gates and walls, and Theoden-king blew his horn, a great horn that put hope inside the hearts of the people of Minas Tirth and into the heart of the warriors of Rohan.

"For Rohan, and Middle-Earth" came the booming voice of Theoden as he rode up and down the flanks, and a great cheer rose from the ranks at his words.

"For Freedom and Peace" another cheer, greater than the last,

"For Rohan and 'Til Death we go" and this cheer was greater than the one before and horns were blown, and standards were risen and the Orc's and Southrons and the Haradhim felt fear into their souls as the great army of Rohan burst forward, their hooves loud and pounding and like a wave crashing into a cliff face, they hit the army below with a bang, and the fighting started.

Eomer charged, a great spear in his hand, which he threw at the first orc he saw, and it killed him and the three other orc's who had been standing behind him, and he charged on, a great battle cry escaping his lips as he reached for his sword and beheaded another Orc. From the corner of his eye he could see Fearomin and Fearowyn on his left flank, following him and killing all those that dared to try and surround the Rohan-lord.

And Eomer felt safe under the care of the two warriors, brother and sister, defending him and risking their lives for him, and his opinions on the mountain people began to change then, especially when an orc pulled Fearowyn off of her perch and onto the ground, she quickly killed him, with a swing of her axe and as her brother came round to retrieve her she was encased in orc's but she screamed over the din to him,

"Go! Go Fearomin, protect him - I'll be fine, do your duty" and her brother nodded and turned, not without a guilty and concerned glance at his sister and rode to join Eomer's flank once more, as they charged deeper into the battle. Fearowyn expertly chopped her way out of the orc's who had trapped her and looked across the battle-field and what she saw made her heart beat faster and faster and made a scream erupt from her mouth.

The Witch-king was bearing down on Theoden-King, and with a run and a great leap she pushed him from the saddle, causing him to roll on the floor, just in time to miss the strike from the Witch-King's blade, but as Theoden-king looked up at her from the ground, a look of shock and anger on his face she was too slow to move herself and the dark and twisted blade went through her and she collapsed against the horse, which then ran off without her - making her fall to the ground, the blade still in her side.

"You fool, you really thought you could get between the Nazgul and it's prey?" and she heard the shrill laugh of the Witch-king, as he pulled out his great mace, she looked over and saw that the fall had caused Theoden-king to break his leg and so he could not stand, but he watched with growing horror as the Witch-kling advanced on the increasingly pale Fearowyn.

"Yes, she does and so do I" came a voice and the attention of the Witch-king was drawn to a Rohirrim soldier, his helm still on, but they could see the blonde hair escaping from underneath, a sword in one hand, and a small shield in another, The Witch-king advanced, and swung his mace around into the shield, causing it to splinter and causing Dernhelm's arm to break, but still Dernhelm held firm against the Witch-king.

"No man can stop me" came the shrill voice of the Witch-king, and Dernhelm watched as Fearowyn stood behind the great stature of the Witch-king, and pulled his sword from her side, and in a limp arm, and with blood falling from the tip she nodded at Dernhelm, for in that moment Fearowyn had seen under the helm and seen the face of the soldier Dernhelm, who had stood to defend her.

"But we are no men" came Dernhelm's voice, and she pulled the helm from her face, revealing her to be Eowyn, sister-daughter of Theoden-king, and the White lady of Rohan, and with a giant roar Fearowyn swung the blade into the Witch-king's heart, while Eowyn swung her's straight into the head of the black and cloaked warrior, and there was a great scream, so terrible and a black mist seemed to settle all around them as a great white light went up from the Witch-king and when it settled all that was left of him was a shred of cloak and twisted metal.

"Eowyn" came the concerned voice of her uncle, "Eowyn" and she turned and ran to him, kneeling before him, her head bowed,

"Oh, uncle - I'm sorry for disobeying you"

"Eowyn, do not be sorry, for I am proud of you, now come - I need your help to make my way to the city"

"Of course uncle" and she leant him her un-broken arm and they made their way to the city, slowly, for a moment forgetting about Fearowyn as she lay bleeding severely and clutching the sword of the Witch-king. Falling to the ground, weary, she pulled her bow from her shoulders and shot at any Orc that came near her, and as time went on her eyes began to grow blurry and less Orc's ventured at all across the fields of Pelennor, and she did not see the great army of the men of the mountain kill many, nor did she feel the hope of seeing the flag of the king raised high.

She didn't hear the calls of Merriadoc Bradybuck as he found her, nor did she feel him shaking her, for all she saw and felt and heard was the blackness and that's how Fearomin and Eomer found her - almost dead to the world - with only a shallow breath to testament that she was alive, and still clutching the With-king's sword they carried her into Minas Tirth towards the Houses of Healing, where they found an injured Theoden and an almost dead Eowyn - for she had also succumbed to the black breath.

* * *

_Fearowyn was surrounded by darkness, it was cold and hot - there was no hope and there was no light. She was alone and she could feel nothing and yet she knew that she was walking in some sort of hall, for somehow she could see the dark pillars and floor around her, she didn't know in which direction she was moving - or if she was moving at all, but she was._

_From one side she heard a faint voice, "Return to us, Fearowyn of the Silver-vale ... return, you are needed here"_

_"How? Who are you?" she asked, turning, and she saw the faint outline of a man, as if there was some sort of light about him, that was hidden here, "Who are you?"_

_"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn - King of Gondor - return to us" and the light around him brightened and brightened until she could see his rugged face, she could see his grey eyes filled with concern and of time-less knowledge and years and she found herself bowing to him, and she felt his hand upon her crown, "Do not bow to me, for you have done well to survive against such darkness - return to us"_

_"I don't know how" and she saw a small frown across his face and as if in the distance she heard his voice, and the voices of two others,_

'Call to her Fearomin, and you Theoden"

'Me?'

'You are her liege-lord, she should listen to you' _and she felt someone holding her hands, yet when she looked down there was only her hands,_

_"Follow their voices Fearowyn, follow them" and she saw that Aragorn had returned and was looking at her with a soft smile, and suddenly she heard her brother's voice in the distance_

_"Fearowyn, sister, return to me" and she turned and saw there was a hallway of the side of the hall and it was glowing, she turned to look at Aragorn but he was no longer there, "Fearowyn, please" and she turned and ran towards the light, faster and faster, closer and closer but still not close enough and then she heard the voice of Theoden-king ordering her to return,_

_"Come back to us, Lady Fearowyn" and she jumped and grasped the light and she woke._

Fearowyn awoke to see that her brother was clutching one hand, and Theoden-kin the other, and she saw that in the gloom of the room stood Eomer and another man, who she immediately recognised as Aragorn, son of Arathorn - ans as she looked at him, he smiled, bowed his head and left the room.

"Welcome back Child" spoke Theoden as he gently patted her hand, "It's good to see you awake" and then he stood, with the help of Eomer and walked out of the room, with the aid of a stick - Eomer hesitated for a moment looking at her, in such a way that made her feel naked, such was it's intensity and there was a hidden emotion behind his eyes, before leaving her and her brother alone,

"Oh Fearowyn, I was so worried" her brother said, hugging her tight before releasing her when he realized that she was was wincing from her wound, "Sorry" he mumbled.

"It's all right - how did I get here?"

"Master Meriadoc Brandybuck found you" he said indicating to one-side and she followed his hand and saw that there was indeed another man in the room, who she had not noticed before for thought he was evidently older than she was - and had seen more, she could tell this from the look of his eyes, he was almost half the height of her brother, and sensing her confusion he stepped forward and said,

"It's Merry actually, but that's alright - you can always rely on Men not to follow specific Hobbit instructions, they all think that because they're so tall and we so small, that they're older than us" and she couldn't help but let out a giggle at his expression - which had been his motivation and he gave her a large smile before he bowed now, "Merry of Brandybuck hall, at your service"

"It's nice to meet you, Merry of Brandybuck hall - I'm Fearowyn of Silver-vale"

"I know ... you're brother told me, he saved my life"

"And you saved my sisters - so we're even" replied Fearomin and seeing that his sister was weary he ushered the hobbit out and said goodbye, promising to return later.

* * *

She stood, with Merry in the gardens and looked eastwards at the looming mountains of Mordor and the thick black clouds and fire above it, when she heard two voiced nearby and turned to see Eowyn walking there, with a man, and once Eowyn had spotted Fearowyn she left the arm of the stranger and ran to her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Fearowyn" She said, "You're awake! I was so worried when I awoke, and found that you were still out"

"You?"

"The black breath also affected Lady Eowyn" came the man's voice and they looked towards him, one with a smile and the other two in curiosity, and sensing this Eowyn introduced them,

"Fearowyn, Merry this is Faramir, the Steward of Gondor" and they smiled and bowed somewhat to him, and then she said, "Faramir, this is Merriadoc Brandybuck - a hobbit from Bradywine in the Shire, and Fearowyn of the Silver-vale clan of Rohan's mountainous people"

"I knew not that there were any clans in Rohan" spoke Faramir, who sat on a stone bench,

"Not many do" supplied Eowyn, "For there has been great distrust between the clans in the mountains and the people who live on the plains"

"Why so?" and Eowyn looked over to Fearowyn and said, "I don't know, Fearowyn might, I was not taught this" and so Fearowyn found herself being asked questions from the three of them about the clans and about their traditions and as they spoke of this and of many other unimportant things about each of their homes, they each kept an eye east-ward looking over Mordor, and the four of them saw the very moment that Sauron was destroyed as a great white light went through the air and they felt the shadow fade away and a new sense of hope.

And in the future when people asked them what were they doing when Sauron was destroyed they would all say "I was listening to a hobbit song in Minas Tirth" and so a hobbit song became famous this way, and I shall write it here for you, so that you may know this most important of songs, for it gave hope to them in the darkness and when the darkness faded away the hope remained.

_"What do you need to make a garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_Do you know what it takes to make a garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_A Bucket full of dirt, may do some help._

_may do some help._

_may do some help._

_A bucket full of dirt, will do some help,_

_will do some help,_

_will do some help._

_A couple of seeds here and there,_

_here and there,_

_here and there,_

_A couple of seeds there and here,_

_there and here_

_there and here._

_A sprinkling of water when the earth gets dry,_

_earth gets dry,_

_earth gets dry,_

_don't forget to water or else the earth gets dry,_

_earth gets dry,_

_earth gets dry._

_A little bit of patience a bunch of hope,_

_a bunch of hope,_

_a bunch of hope,_

_a little bit of hope and a bunch of patience_

_a bunch of patience_

_a bunch of patience._

_A loving heart and a steady hand_

_a steady hand,_

_a steady hand._

_A loving heart and a steady hand,_

_a steady hand,_

_a steady hand,_

_What do you need to make a garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_Do you know what it takes to make a garden grow?_

_A garden grow?_

_A garden grow?"_

And forever after that moment, whenever they thought about that moment, they would feel the urge to sing this song - such a simple song, written by hobbits far away from the danger and malice of Sauron, but it lifted their hopes with it's innocence and the four of them, remained firm friends forever more - for in those hours in the garden of the Houses of Healing, they had created a bond, that came about from sharing and living through a tremendous event and coming out better on the other side.

* * *

The first time that Eomer saw Fearowyn again, was at the coronation of Elessar, and the thoughts and feelings that he had kept hidden inside of himself since his dream came rushing back to him in full force, and he was almost knocked back but he stood still, and watched her instead of paying attention to the crowning of Gondor's first king in many years.

She was beautiful, he could see that - he always did see that, but there was something different about her, and him. There was a new hope about them all, that made everyone seem slightly different. He saw the hope and love that existed between his sister and Faramir, and in that moment he recognised Faramir from his dream and any thoughts of maiming him left his mind - for he truly saw that his sister was happy.

And Fearowyn, the first time he had seen her she had been wearing leather armour and the patterned and coloured cloaks of her people, her face painted blue and fierce, and then in his dream she had worn a plain brown dress but she was beautiful even then, but now she wore a long pale yellow dress, and she was stunning.

Like a golden flower she was, like a sun - burning into his eyes, so bright but making him look - he couldn't turn away, and he couldn't move closer. She was stunning and he noticed with great anger that he was not the only one to recognize this and he almost growled at the inappropriate looks she was getting from some of the Gondorian commoners - they were not good enough for her, no one was - no one could ever be as bright as she - and no one but he should ever be able to touch her.

And he shook himself away from those thoughts, becoming aware that he had called her his, that he had silently claimed her as his, that he had over time fallen in love with her, and his love for her was bright and hot and he wanted to know, he needed to know what she thought of him - but he couldn't move towards her, and she not once looked back at him and spent most of her time with her brother and with the hobbit Merry.

"Go, Eomer" Theoden said, once they had sat and eaten, at the feat, and he looked back at his uncle in curiosity, taking his eyes off Fearowyn for the first time all evening,

"Uncle?"

"Go - go to her"

"I don't understand"

"You don't wish to ... don't give up because you've not made the risk, try - jump in and try, she might surprise you" and with that, he turned to speak with another captain on his other side and with a nod, Eomer stood and walked to her,

"My Lady Fearowyn" he said, and she turned to him surprised, "Yes, My lord?"

"May I have to honour of this dance?"

"The honour would be mine" and she placed her hand in his, and as they both felt the jolt that came with the contact, she allowed him to lead her onto the dance-floor as a new song was started, and in a comfortable silence they danced, and they spun and they looked at each other and though there was silence between them they understood each other and at the end of the dance, he led her onto one of the balconies.

"That was nice" she said, looking over the city, and he moved behind her so that he embraced her and lay his chin upon her head,

"This is nice" he said, and she smiled, "Yes, it is, my lord"

"Eomer - my name is Eomer, please call me that"

"Why?"

"Because I want us to be comfortable, I want us to be friends ... I want to know if we can be something more" he whispered the last part and she turned within his embrace so that they were pressed together, facing each other and she looked at him, while he looked down at her intensely once more.

"Why?"

"Because ... because I love you"

"Love me? How could you love me? I'm a mountain-women... I have no honour - you hate me and my people, how?" and she tried to push him away, but his grip on the rail behind her strengthened, and his patience with her in this mood soon drew thin, and with a gentle tilt of her head he placed his lips on hers.

She was surprised at first, and then she realized what he was doing and she began to resist him, but as she did so she began to respond to his kiss, and soon all thoughts of resistance had escaped her mind and all she could concentrate on was the feeling of his lips on hers and the feeling of his long hair between her fingers.

"I love you " he said once more, and rested his forehead against hers, and she realised that her arms were around his neck and her fingers were still tangled within his hair - but she didn't care and she felt safe within his embrace, "I was wrong - about what I thought of you and your people ... would you forgive me?"

"Yes"

"Will you allow me to court you?" he asked, and she looked into his blue eyes and placed a soft kiss upon his lips,

"Yes"


End file.
